english Archive - Seite 2 von 13 - Freie Generation Reporter:innen

23Feb

Von Liv ThastumKeine Kommentare

Kritik

How to become a bag of rice

A comment on Kiseye Berendj The Retrospective section at this year's Berlinale shows films on the theme "Young at Heart - Coming of Age at the Movies". Well-known filmmakers have put together the films for the programme. Tilda Swinton chose the Iranian film Kiseye Berendj by Mohammad-Ali Talebi from 1996. Here, the viewer enchantingly follows the little girl Jairan who, together with her old neighbour, makes her way through the labyrinth of Theran to buy a sack of rice. It is the dramas of everyday life that are shown on the big screen. In a time where cinema is overloaded with complex storylines, plot twists and special effects, it is a pleasant surprise to experience how this narrative can shine in its simplicity. Tilda Swinton writes about this timeless film: "We each alchem...

22Feb

Von ClaraKeine Kommentare

Kritik

The Paradox of Freedom

A comment on Le Paradis German version here. Not completely fit i’m already thinking about not going to the premiere of „Le Paradis“ (The Lost Boys) on sunday afternoon. As the film is only 83 minutes long i decide to go there after all, without any expectations. But already within the first scenes of the film I know that it was the right decision and I am very happy that I went there. "Le Paradis" touches me from the first minutes to the last second. Two and a half days later, I'm still so excited that I book a ticket for the last screening on Friday afternoon so that I can see Zeno Graton's feature film debut once again. Overall, "Le Paradis“ tells a story about two people in love - nothing unusual - but the place where the story is set is. Because Joe (Khalil Gharbia) and William (Jul...

Bridging the Gap Between Past and Present

22Feb

Von SarahKeine Kommentare

Kritik

Bridging the Gap Between Past and Present

A review of Ha'Mishlahat. The German film review can be found here. The plane lands. A group of excited students pours out of the airport and boards a coach awaiting them. Finally, they have arrived in Poland. On this school trip, the Israeli adolescents will visit various concentration camps and memorials of the Shoah. Their youthful exuberance is met with the weight of tragic history, as they grapple with the desire to break out of rules, have fun, and enjoy each other's company, while also visiting places steeped in the atrocities of the past. The film uses hard cuts as a stylistic means to oppose between completely excited young people and the petrified faces of those confronted with the realities of the past. Students embrace and support one another as they process what they have e...

22Feb

Von SarahKeine Kommentare

Kritik

Unser Sommer

Eine Kritik zu Hummingbirds. An English summary can be found below. Zwei Jugendliche liegen auf einem Autodach und schauen in den dunklen Nachthimmel. “Hast du den Stern da gesehen? Und den da hinten?”. Als die Alarmanlage des Autos losgeht, springen sie gackernd auf und laufen davon. Es handelt sich um Beba und Silvia, zwei beste Freund:innen, die ihren letzten gemeinsamen Sommer dokumentarisch einfangen. Zum einen sind da die Unsicherheit, ob Beba in den USA bleiben darf oder nicht, was die beiden mit ihrem Leben anfangen möchten und wo sie ihre Heimat sehen. Zum anderen genießen sie es auch einfach nur, Zeit zusammen zu verbringen, zu tanzen, zu musizieren, Schilder von Abtreibungsgegnern so zu bekleben, dass sie nun für Abtreibung stehen, oder über ihre Vergangenheit zu sinnieren. Inei...

21Feb

Von JohannaKeine Kommentare

Kritik

A night of humanity

Eine Kritik zu Mutt. German version here Berlinale, and Generation in particular, have been a safe space for queer films for years, and they get the recognition they deserve here. At the same time, the Generation program is also known for presenting many films that are rather heavy on the stomach, that illuminate the ugly sides of this world, give them a name, and all the while show no light at the end of the tunnel. Fortunately, Mutt by Vuk Lungulov-Klotz does not really belong to the latter. Feña (Lío Mehiel) has been outed as a trans man for over a year and has already gone through much of his transition. He finally feels comfortable in his body, can be himself, and is surrounded by loving people who accept and love him exactly as he is. But it was and is not always easy. Within 24 hou...

21Feb

Von KonstantinKeine Kommentare

Interview

Only love can create freedom

"Le paradis (The Lost Boys)" is the feature debut of the Belgian director Zeno Graton, which premiered at the Berlinale 2023 in the Generation 14+ section. It's a rainy morning in Berlin when he and his two leading actors, Khalil Gharbia (Joe) and Julien de Saint Jean (William), enter the press lounge of the Berlinale Palace. Freie Generationen Reporter:innen: Mr. Graton, what is freedom to you? Zeno Graton (Director): Well, the thing about freedom, I tried to portray was, a form of freedom that is not linked to the physical freedom. Joe (Khalil Gharbia) for example, is going to get released, live in his own apartment, have his own job, but that is not freedom to him.He is looking for something else. He looks for a bond and what I tried to convey with this movie, was that only love can ...

21Feb

Von JohannaKeine Kommentare

Kritik

The love of a child

A review for L'amour du monde. German version here. It is the wordless scenes that are particularly enchanting in L'amour du monde by Jenna Hasse. When two girls, partially accompanied by a young man, simply drift in the water, sitting next to the excited action, preferring not to be part of it, but happy to keep each other company. Margaux (Clarisse Moussa) and Juliette (Esin Demircan) don't need many words from the start, most of all for each other. Their connection is between the words they so rarely make use of. So much is happening around them. The boys at the shelter where Juliette is staying and Margaux is doing a summer internship have a lot to say and a lot to do. The adults, likewise, hardly let a moment pass without words. They lecture, scold, reprimand. Juliette and Margaux mee...

21Feb

Von JohannaKeine Kommentare

Kritik

Letting go

A review for A Greyhound of a Girl. German version here. It's my third film at this year's Berlinale. For the third time, it's about loss. While Zeevonk dealt mainly with grief after an abrupt death, A Greyhound of a Girl by Enzo d'Alò prepares us to say goodbye. Mary O'Hara and her grandmother are as thick as thieves. They go on adventures together, have their secrets as a duo, and most importantly, bond over their love of cooking. When Mary's grandma suddenly becomes very ill, Mary finds it hard to face the thought of saying goodbye. But she is not alone on this journey. Mary's great-grandmother Anastasia joins the O'Hara women as a ghost to prepare them all for this next step. Despite the difficult issue, A Greyhound of a Girl is a sweet-as-sugar film. The lovely animation supports the ...

19Feb

Von JohannaKeine Kommentare

Kritik

Seeking closure

A review for Zeevonk. German version here. Lena (Saar Rogiers) dives into the depths of the sea that seemed so familiar to her only a short time ago. She is looking for the monster that took her father from her. Her father who never made mistakes, no matter what others might say after his death. Domien Huyghe's debut feature Zeevonk is about loss and how a young girl tries to deal with it. Lena loses her father to the sea - the place that always connected them both and used to make them inseparable. Other fathers also die in the same accident. While Kaz, Lena's best friend, crafts a memory book to express her grief, the most important thing for Lena is to defend her father's innocence, which so many around her question. In the audience discussion, we learn that Saar Rogiers was already c...

19Feb

Von YaronKeine Kommentare

Kritik

Tomorrow is going to be a long day

A review of Míng tian bi zuo tian chang jiuChua lives a life shaped by insect killers and working long hours all day round. His son Meng leads a life shaped by the need to conform and violence. Where one tries to put his views into practice and in the end fails because of migration laws, the other gives in to peer pressure and adapts. Both act against their will, both regret it, both will not be the same afterwards. And very far apart from each other.This section is always good for surprises. That should be no secret. Jumbo in 14plus, Sweet Thing in Kplus; few festivals would probably put Míng tian bi zuo tian chang jiu in their youth section. Too unpromising, too puzzled by a very unexpected change in tone. Perhaps also simply too slow. What some see here as a nap or simply a trainin...